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Ram
The Ram is a special zombie found in Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. In Dead Island, it is first encountered at the church, in the city of Moresby in Act II. In Dead Island: Riptide, it is first encountered in front of the Old Town Cinema in Henderson and is rather uncommon in the game. Overview Rams are tough, strong, and ferocious undead. The straight jacket they wear gives them mute testament to their insanity, and they relentlessly pursue any survivors they see, attacking with a single, ramming charge. Frontal attacks are ineffective against them; striking from behind is the best way to bring them down. They charge at the player like a berserker (their charge-route is slightly more follow-the-target and may not be perfectly straight). At close range, they kick and headbutt, knock the player back, and cost health and stamina. The Ram is first encountered at Saint Christopher's Church attempting to break down the barred doors along with several Walkers. This Ram has different behavior than other Rams; it will not chase the target outside of the church's yard, and it stops in the middle of a charge if that charge seems to lead it outside the church's yard. Appearance The Ram is a hulking zombie who wears a straight jacket which permanently binds his arms to his chest, making it impossible for him to use them in combat. He also wears a prison-issue restraint mask which prevents him from biting and infecting others. The Ram is significantly larger than most zombies, including the Thug, and it is unclear how he was completely restrained in the straitjacket, pants and mask. Even though he's restrained, the Ram still uses his massive size to his advantage. He will charge at the player(s) head on and crush anyone standing in his way — including other zombies. If the Hero is close by, he will also deliver a devastating kick. The Ram's eyes glow blood red due to his insane state and possibly his frustration in trying to free himself from the straitjacket. After a failed charge, the Ram will violently shake still attempting to free himself. His ambient sound is similar to a Thug's, but louder and more aggressive. When nearby, the Ram will constantly let out roars and heavy breathing. When charging, he lets out a very loud roar. It is unknown if Rams are all strong men that went insane before the outbreak, or if they're ordinary men that experienced accelerated physical growth from the Kuru Prion. During Ryder White's Campaign, Rams are first encountered when Ryder visits death row and after the cells are opened, suggesting the Ram may have originated from the prison. Tips * There is an opening on the back of the Ram 's straight jacket. Attacking the exposed area with any melee or ranged weapon takes down its health drastically compared to facing it head-on. Shooting the exposed area from a distance (such as from a rooftop) is a safe and quick way to get rid of a Ram. * It is possible to headshot the Ram, but you have to be very precise, as only a very small portion of their head is visible above the face mask. This is best performed from an elevated position, and useful if a Ram won't turn around. * Be aware of the area around you as to not get caught up on small items on the ground or draw the attention of other unseen zombie(s) while dodging and positioning. * Rams can also be a beneficial ally with a bit of strategy. If any zombies are closing in on your position while a Ram is in the vicinity, you can angle yourself so that the zombies are between you and the Ram. The Ram will see you and charge running down any zombies in his path. This can be extremely effective if one such zombie is a Suicider that the Ram runs down while charging at you. * If you're facing a Ram outside near some elevation such as a car or ambulance, then he will forget you're there when you jump onto said object. Sometimes the Ram will be right beside you while you're on the vehicle and not be aware that you're killing him slowly. However, when in a hood or certain elevations the Ram will walk slowly towards you and eventually kick you instead of charging, knocking you off the elevation and making you vulnerable to a charge; if this happens, it is advised that you run as soon as you stand up. * Lure the Ram into a burning area and stand on a structure just out of reach, then move in and out of the area the Ram is able to reach you to keep him inside the flames until it dies. For example, when you face the Ram in the Supermarket run towards the carts and jump behind them, and in some cases, it'll just walk around and catch itself on fire granting you an easy kill. * Throwing an explosive knife at the exposed back of the Ram while on a car is another way to kill them. * Elemental weapons are extremely effective against the Ram because it can do damage through his armor. It is advisable to keep more than enough ingredients for the elemental mods and always carry an elemental weapon as later in the game, you will often face the Ram. Electrical Modifications paralyze the Ram and deal damage over time as do Poison Modifications. Fire Modifications only deal damage over time and do not stun the Ram. * Molotovs can be effective on Rams provided they are thrown behind the targeted Ram; upon impact with the surface, the spreading flames of the Molotov will set the Ram ablaze from behind, exploiting its characteristic weakness. It is advised to use a Deo-Bomb or a Grenade when attacking a Ram from a distance. * Try shooting explosive containers around or near the Ram for additional damage or the kill regardless of which direction the Ram is facing. * The Ram has a habit of attacking whomever attacked it last, so if you are in the vicinity of Punks (in Moresby), or other hostile survivors, they will start shooting the Ram as they see it as a bigger threat than you. Lure them together and they should attack one another. * Throwing Meat Bait against a Ram causes zombies around that area to attack the Ram, adding additional damage to the target, along with distracting it. * Vehicles are highly effective against Rams; they are not only nearly impervious to the Ram's attacks, but also exploit Dead Island's physics as a weapon; a charging Ram striking a charging vehicle head on can result in spectacular Ram flight and damage. As the arms of the Ram is restrained, it is unable to get back up, and upon falling over, it will die. * Highly unusually, it is known to be easier to kill a Ram or a Butcher with a vehicle, than it is to kill a Walker with one. This has been seen on all platforms. * If there is a fairly clear area when you encounter a Ram, then an easy kill is attainable by waiting for its charge and then charging at it at the same time, dodging at the last second. When it stops to roar and struggle sprint behind it and slash (preferably with a shock-modded weapon, but not essential) to score enough hits to easily kill it. * Shock and Poison Mods work well against the Ram as it will induce a stun leaving an opening for an attack. * If you face a Ram in an area with rooms or buildings (e.g. the prison or the laboratory) you can lure it into a room, get around it and leave the room closing the door behind you. This will close the Ram in the room and out of harm's way while you go about other business. * If you can time it properly, a single Incendiary Grenade will often kill a Ram, though sometimes you will have to face one last charge as the DOT does its work. Notes * In Dead Island, Rams are tied with Butchers as the most abundant source of high-rarity loot, having a 10% chance of dropping items. In Dead Island: Riptide they are still the most abundant source, though only having a 3% chance to drop Exceptional and Legendary items. * There is an Achievement/Trophy for killing a Ram with Sam B's tackle skill entitled "Oh, no you don't!". This is achieved with relative ease by chipping away at the Ram's hit points with a weapon that produces moderate damage. As long as the killing blow is delivered via Sam's tackle move. * It is possible to avoid the Ram at the Town Hall when it is overrun by zombies; all you have to do is take another route to the balcony or alternatively, use a ranged attack on the Suicider that may spawn in the courtyard near the Ram. The resulting explosion will damage the Ram and may kill it outright. * There is a glitch where a Ram will keep coming back to the original spawn location where you encountered it. If you open a door and head just outside of the area, the Ram will move towards you, but if you close the door, it will go back to the spawn location, allowing you to get clear shots at the Ram's back while it walks away. This can be exploited for easy money. * Though it isn't the primary attack, when the Ram is too close to charge, it will headbutt or kick. These attacks are similar to a Thug's and will usually send you flying. * Concept gameplay screenshots show the Ram in the Resort near the Lighthouse and the Lighthouse Gas Station, other early screenshots show the Ram at the Golden Beach and in The Hotel where Some Infected chase the Hero during the prologue mission Chaos Overture. * It is possible that during development that a Ram was originally going to appear in the prologue instead of the Infected, and Rams were originally going to appear at the Resort too. It appears that for some reason later in development, the Ram was removed from the prologue and the resort area. Rams appear in Moresby, The Laboratory and the Prison. * It is not possible to cut off any limb of the Ram, even if you give it a Headstomp or a swift blow. Trivia * The Ram appears to be inspired by the Charger from Left 4 Dead 2, as they both use charging as their signature attack. * When looking in the very far distance, the Ram appears to have no arms. Glitches * It has been noted that after applying the recent version of Patch 1.3, the Ram may often disappear from locations that it should always re-spawn like the market burning point and inside of one of the warehouses in the Laboratory map. * The Ram in front of the old town cinema in Henderson is able to glitch into the fountain and not able to get out afterwards.